1. Field of Invention
The present disclosure relates in general to monitoring flow in a wellbore, and more specifically to sensing fluid flow at discrete and known locations in the wellbore.
2. Description of Prior Art
Flowmeters are often used for measuring flow of fluid produced from hydrocarbon producing wellbores. Flowmeters may be deployed downhole within a producing wellbore, a jumper or caisson used in conjunction with a subsea wellbore, or a production transmission line used in distributing the produced fluids. Monitoring fluid produced from a wellbore is useful in wellbore evaluation and to project production life of a well. In some instances transmission lines may include fluid produced from wells having different owners. Therefore proper accounting requires a flow measuring device that monitors the flow contribution from each owner.
The produced fluid may include water and/or gas mixed with liquid hydrocarbon. Knowing the water fraction is desirable to ensure adequate means are available for separating the water from the produced fluid. Additionally, the amount and presence of gas is another indicator of wellbore performance, and vapor mass flow impacts transmission requirements. Flowmeters can be employed that provide information regarding total flow, water cut amount, and gas fractions. However, these often require periodic analysis of the fluid entering the flowmeter. This may involve deploying a sample probe upstream of the flowmeter; which can produce inaccuracy, and may interrupt or temporarily halt fluid production.